Crews remove the Cross and bells from St. Patrick's Church on 1th Street in Watervliet in preparation for demolition. (Mike McMahon / The Record)

WATERVLIET - A crane took down a gold-painted wooden cross from St. Patrick's pinnacle today and a 7,000 pound Meneely bell is now on the ground after being perched about 125-feet above the city for more than a century.

With a crane situated over the old brick church, the 137-foot building is no longer the tallest structure in the city.

A small crowd of curious onlookers and former parishioners gathered this morning and midday to watch the cross and the large bell be taken down from the 19th Street church that is slated to become a state-of-the-art Price Chopper supermarket. The cross was lifted carefully by the crane while the bell was taken down through the front of the building, likely coming down the same way it was put up.

"It's amazing to think how a crane is being used today when all this was done with sheer manpower when it was constructed," said Christine Bulmer, leader of the Citizens for St. Patrick's which has an ongoing lawsuit against the city to stop the demolition.

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City Mayor Mike Manning said asbestos abatement was slated to occur for four to six weeks, and that started on Feb. 4.

Albany-based Nigro Companies has the proper demolition permit and looks forward to creating a new structure that will encourage new business, and new jobs, officials said. Due to the close proximity to residences and businesses, explosives are not expected to be used in the razing process.